I have learned a great deal from this course. My appreciation of the power of technology has increased ten fold. Platforms such as blogging add a dimension to education that we all need to embrace since technology is the language of the youth. Just as I had teachers that were resistant to change, I need to be willing to do the opposite and embrace the coming tide. I think the trick is to implement the technology in a way that is most effective for your subject. Currently I only have my Social Science CSET passed, but I plan on getting single subject credentials in as many subjects as possible. There is no doubt that technology will help me greatly in being able to move from subject to subject.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Assignment 3A
For assignment 3A I chose to use my nephew and 3 of his friends that are all freshman in high school. At first I hesitated on using them, but I figured it would be a good way to test my pre-assessment on a group of students that do not necessarily have the knowledge that other older students or adults have about government. So with my nephews help (thanks Connor) I arranged to send them an email that included the 5 minute free write that is part of my pre-assessment.
In my email I explained to all four students not to research or worry about spelling, but rather just jot down what they know about the following question- “What do you know about the roles of the government, political parties and citizens political involvement?” I realized that they might intimidated by the question so I clarified by saying- write a few things that you know about our federal government, a few things about the Democrats and Republican parties and how regular folks are involved in government.
When I first read their responses I was somewhat shocked by how much they knew about government. Then I took in consideration, how each one was an A student. In their short write up, they gave great detail about each of the topics I had asked about. Giving me brief explanations on what foundations our democracy is founded on. What common beliefs that the Republican and Democratic parties hold. Also on how regular citizens can get involved in government.
The debate in my mind now is if I should of had a more in depth question or that the question was fine, it was just given to four gifted students. If I was to retest this pre-assessment, I would probably give the question to a more diverse group of students and or adults so that I could get a better read on my pre-assessment. Either way I now have a better understanding of the importance of pre-assessment and how testing it and adjusting it accordingly is the key to making it successful.
Monday, September 28, 2015
TED 633- Assignment 1A - Mark Maselli
-About Me: My name is Mark Andrew Maselli. I was born and raised in San Jose and besides my time at UC Davis, have lived here my whole life. I’ve been subbing in the Campbell Union High School District since 2010. I enjoy working with High School students and would like to remain in the district after I receive my credential. I am hoping to teach Gov/Econ but would enjoy teaching any Social Science.
-How did your personality affect your choice of content area? My personality seems to be one that has and will always be in amazement of stories and characters. I found myself never a huge fan of English class because I always felt that real life was much more fascinating than anything fiction could produce. This obviously made me drawn to History as a kid and I've been fascinated ever since. Later in in my teens I became very interested in the stock market and fiances. After the financial collapse of 2008-2009 I felt that a huge reason it happened, was that our students never receive a solid education and deep understanding of personal finance. I argue, that if our students were given a more complete education in personal finance, at the very worst, the financial collapse would not have been as bad. So, hopefully if everything works out, I will be able to teach Political Science/ Economics with a few units of History.
-How does or will your personality affect your relationships with your students? I am a very calm patient person (I'd like to think) in the classroom, but far from a pushover. I think a good balance of respect and authority is the key to having the students respond. I try to be understanding of students needs. I've found that with students (especially Juniors/Seniors) a little leeway goes a long way.
-How will your teaching and learning style affect your teaching and your students' abilities to be successful? I always seemed to learn best and feed off teachers that did not nit pick at every little thing done in the classroom. So I've tried to carry this over to my own classrooms. Even as a sub, I sometimes read these long list of rules that teachers would leave me and think, how do you have time to teach with all these rules? There are some rules that are just common sense, but other times I think teachers go a little too far and make it more about a power struggle, rather than creating a positive learning environment.
-How did your personality affect your choice of content area? My personality seems to be one that has and will always be in amazement of stories and characters. I found myself never a huge fan of English class because I always felt that real life was much more fascinating than anything fiction could produce. This obviously made me drawn to History as a kid and I've been fascinated ever since. Later in in my teens I became very interested in the stock market and fiances. After the financial collapse of 2008-2009 I felt that a huge reason it happened, was that our students never receive a solid education and deep understanding of personal finance. I argue, that if our students were given a more complete education in personal finance, at the very worst, the financial collapse would not have been as bad. So, hopefully if everything works out, I will be able to teach Political Science/ Economics with a few units of History.
-How does or will your personality affect your relationships with your students? I am a very calm patient person (I'd like to think) in the classroom, but far from a pushover. I think a good balance of respect and authority is the key to having the students respond. I try to be understanding of students needs. I've found that with students (especially Juniors/Seniors) a little leeway goes a long way.
-How will your teaching and learning style affect your teaching and your students' abilities to be successful? I always seemed to learn best and feed off teachers that did not nit pick at every little thing done in the classroom. So I've tried to carry this over to my own classrooms. Even as a sub, I sometimes read these long list of rules that teachers would leave me and think, how do you have time to teach with all these rules? There are some rules that are just common sense, but other times I think teachers go a little too far and make it more about a power struggle, rather than creating a positive learning environment.
Me at Machu Picchu over the summer
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